Budget touring gearing - too low?

[Splatter Paint]

I have a modern gravel bike. Yuk. Anyway…. I have a 50/34 chainset and 11-32 cassette fitted and 700c wheels. I’d like to do a bit o’ touring on it.

The current gearing is clearly too high for being loaded. I have rummaged around and found a pair of mtb triple cranks and 26/38t chainrings. I was planning on swapping these out with a matching bb. I’ll think about possible front mech woes later…

Do you think a 38/11 top gear is too low? Sheldon Brown says that equates to 24mph ish at 90 rpm. The chain line **should** be ok going road to mtb and only using the middle/inner.

SP

 

[Guinessisgoodforyou]

Assuming 700 X 35 / 35-622 = 93.9 gear inches, Merckx did the hour record on 97" from memory, you should be fine.

 

[Jamesbike]

I have a modern gravel bike. Yuk. Anyway…. I have a 50/34 chainset and 11-32 cassette fitted and 700c wheels. I’d like to do a bit o’ touring on it.

The current gearing is clearly too high for being loaded. I have rummaged around and found a pair of mtb triple cranks and 26/38t chainrings. I was planning on swapping these out with a matching bb. I’ll think about possible front mech woes later…

Do you think a 38/11 top gear is too low? Sheldon Brown says that equates to 24mph ish at 90 rpm. The chain line **should** be ok going road to mtb and only using the middle/inner.

SP

No over 20mph I tend to free wheel, often out the saddle to give my backside a rest.

Would a 36t cassette not be low enough?

 

[Splatter Paint]

Assuming 700 X 35 / 35-622 = 93.9 gear inches, Merckx did the hour record on 97" from memory, you should be fine.

That’ll do!

 

[Splatter Paint]

No over 20mph I tend to free wheel, often out the saddle to give my backside a rest.

Would a 36t cassette not be low enough?

I considered 36t cassette but bottom gear just isn’t low enough. Last time I went around Scotland I had a 28 granny and 32t cassette and on the steep hills fully loaded I was pushing hard. I’m five years older now!

 

[pigman]

Ive never geared that low, so ask as a genuine question. When one gears that low, is there not a problem staying upright..... low speed, uphill, heavy bike, potential for wheelspin and/or wheelieing ?

 

[Guinessisgoodforyou]

Ive never geared that low, so ask as a genuine question. When one gears that low, is there not a problem staying upright..... low speed, uphill, heavy bike, potential for wheelspin and/or wheelieing ?

No.

 

[hamster]

On my tourer I run as low as a 19" gear. It still propels me faster than walking uphill. Typically it's easier to start a couple of gears higher then click down and settle. It gets a bike with camping gear up Devon lanes.

 

[averagebiker]

Or you could convert to a 3x crank and get very low gears for lugging loads up hill and higher gears for when you want to make speed downhill......although when touring my view is that downhill is for resting (coasting) before the next uphill bit

 

[The History Man]

This is my tourer. You can never go too low.